Spark People

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

We have been having a nice taste of spring here in NJ and it feels great. It's also a bit of a reminder every year that the 'party is over' - the eating party that is. Such a joyous security blanket I enjoy each winter hiding in my sweaters and scarves! A little harder to pull off in the summer time!

So today I joined Spark People. Totally free online nutrition, fitness, wellness website. So far, so good. They have this nutrition tracker which I LOVE (and also hate b/c it's giving me some bad news)

Peanuts, all types, dry-roasted (with salt) 21.7%
Kirkland All Natural Multigrain 100% Whole Grain Bread 17.3%
Cottage Cheese, 2% Milkfat 12.6%
Sanpelligrino Limonata Sparkling Lemon Beverage 9.3%
1 Scoop Whey Protein Powder: Chocolate 8.1%
Banana, fresh 6.8%
Kashi Honey Sunshine Cereal 6.2%
Boar's Head Ovengold Turkey Breast 3.7%
Milk, 1% 3.4%
Milk, 1% 3.4%
Cantaloupe - 55Cal/1-Cup 3.4%
Half and Half Cream 1.2%
Half and Half Cream 1.2%
Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard 0.9%
Regular Coffee 0.6%
Arugula 0.1%

So see that big orange pie piece? It's for a medium sized bag of peanuts I ate while I watched my boys at their batting practice. I was a starvin marvin and it seemed like the best choice in the vending machine. I didn't even eat the whole bag (I could have but the bag did say it had a total of 3 servings and I figured that would be bad)

Next up... giant kiwi green triangle - 2 measly pieces of wholegrain bread (6 grams of fiber per slice) so I thought it would be fine :( Tomorrow I will only have one of those babies

And last but not least.... that robust periwinkle triangle is one precious limonata soda. ONE - boo hoo hoo hoo

See all those teeny tiny triangles - cantaloupe, arugula, banana, cup of honey sunshine cereal, deli turkey etc etc etc

So in summary..... eat fresh, no soda, stay the heck away from any and all vending machines. Farewell peanuts, I am going to miss you.

Worst case scenario is I throw caution to the wind and go for those mom jeans and sensible brown shoes that one of my favorites, Caffeine Court so bravely suggests!

I'll keep you posted on my progress. There appears to be a high learning curve with this one! xo, Brie

Back to the Gym

After an indulgent holiday season, I am back to the gym. I am doing the circuit, power ball, and spinning all once a week. I don't have a high success rate just going to the gym to work out. I need a class where I am pretty much "locked in" until it's over :) I have a stationary bike at home and have also been doing wii fit. Scale isn't budging as of yet but I am sure annnnnyyyyyy second now those extra lbs will be flying off :) I have been feeling better, so I guess it's a start!




I bought this on a whim at Stop and Shop last week because it was on sale. Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Chai Soy Protein drink. It is REALLY good. I am trying to use in the place of a 4pm snack (that's the usual time when I am suddenly starving) I highly recommend it. Just be careful b/c it is so good you'll be tempted to drink the whole bottle - I measure out a cup at a time to limit the calories to 160. I haven't tried any of the other flavors yet, but I'll keep you posted if I do :) xo, Brie

Uneventful Times

Finished this (loved it but don't think I need to see the movie)

On to this one - got great reviews from my family


Trying out a new healthy eating plan - so far, so good! I'll keep you posted, I'm certain you're on the edge of your seat ;) xo, Brie

New Year, New Me!

You've probably heard this one before :) I am seriously trying though to be more healthy in my eating and upping my trips to the Y this year. All 4 kids are in school so I am running out of excuses here. Here are a couple of steps I am taking to the new and improved me :)


I joined a class at my YMCA called "The Circuit" it meets once a week for 45 minutes and my favorite spin instructor is running it. You basically go through a series of 12-14 exercise cycles (twice) and do each for 20 - 30 seconds until she calls time and then you switch to the next one. It combines weights, cardio and floor exercises. Sounds easy, right? That's what I thought.... it's not. I am in week 2 now and am SORE. I do love it though!! This is a random pic, but you get the idea... ours is not set up in a circle thank God!





Keeks recommended this cleanse she found at Whole Foods put out by their 365 line.
It sells for about 18 dollars and is a series of vitamins and fiber that you take for 2 weeks and it is supposed to remove toxins from your system. I really like it!! I haven't lost a single pound on it but still feel better for some reason!

There are quite a lot of capsules to take and I am not going to lie... they are big and there are quite a few to take. I choked them down for the first 4 days but then it got easier.

Just for a size reference here's a nickel next to these super sized fiber capsules




and here's how many you take every night for week one! Ay carumba!

Good news is, I feel better and might even look better! See for yourself.....

Another fun time waster! Cheers to good health! xo, Brie